FRESH ADVANCES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 60, 20 December 1943, Page 3

FRESH ADVANCES

NEW ZEALANDERS NEAR.

ACTION NEAR ORSOGNA.

MACHINE-GUN FIRE FROM TOWN

(Official War Correspondent, N.Z.F..F.) N.Z. HEADQUARTERS, Dec. 17. In spite of enemy efforts to dislodge them, the New Zealand troops have widened the bridgehead across the lateral road running north-east from Orsogna, and the threat to that town increases hourly. Our armonur, with infantry support, has thrust north-east too, driving the enemy from positions faced by the British infantry on our right flauk. Strong reinforcements were brought up by the Germans after our initial success, and two costly countex’-at-tacks were launched in the early hours of yesterday morning. They met such furious resistance that they have not been repeated. Against the Auckland battalion, the Germans came in with tanks, flame-throwers, and infantry, seemingly hoping to sweep all before them. A great concentration of artillery, tank, machine-gun, and smallarms fire brought them to a standstill, and before they could retire our fierce fire had taken a heavy toll. Behind them the Germans left many dead, four tanks, and one flamethrower. An officer of long experience said afterwards that he had never seen so many enemy dead in one place. A similar fate awaited an infantry attack against a South Island battalion. Fighting was at close quarters, but the New Zealanders would not budges and it was a much-depleted enemy that withdrew. A New Zealander, who was one of a section over-run, was taken prisoner. Ke was among about 30 Germans returning to their starting-place, when our artillery poured down a great plas-1 ter of shells. The Germans scattered and disappeared all except one, whom the New Zealander brought back as his prisoner to our lines. Throughout yesterday our infantry were shelled and mortared and there was some bombing, but the troops had the satisfaction of seeing heavy air attacks on the enemy. The slightest movement last night brought down on them heavy fire so that any counter-attacks that might have been contemplated were not even allowed to start. Any sound of tanks was the signal for heavy shellfire fi’om our guns. This morning our tanks and infantry combined in establishing a strongpoint very close to Orsogna, on the main road, enemy opposition being mainly confined to machine-gun fire from the town. Meanwhile other tanks and a small formation of infantry proceeded north-east. They made good progress and besides getting enemy infantry, knocked out an SSmm. gun. I was told to-day how the flamethrower was foiled during one of yesterday’s counter-attacks. The previous day a flame-thrower was observed moving into position, giving some indication of the direction from which the attack might he expected. The attack came and a gi*eat flame shot deep into what the enemy believed to be a sector of infantry line3‘. But they had all beeiNmoved from the threatened area.